design-thinking

What this skill does

# Design Thinking Skill

## Overview

Design Thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation and problem-solving. It integrates the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.

## The Five Phases

### 1. Empathize

**Purpose**: Understand the people you're designing for.

**Key Activities**:
- User interviews
- Observation
- Immersive experiences
- Empathy mapping

**Outputs**:
- User insights
- Empathy maps
- User journey maps
- Pain points and gains

**Key Questions**:
- Who is the user?
- What do they need?
- What frustrates them?
- What delights them?
- What are their goals?

### 2. Define

**Purpose**: Synthesize findings into a clear problem statement.

**Key Activities**:
- Insight synthesis
- Problem framing
- Point of View (POV) statements
- "How Might We" questions

**Outputs**:
- Problem statement
- POV statement
- HMW questions
- Design challenge

**Frameworks**:

**POV Statement**:
```
[USER] needs [NEED] because [INSIGHT]
```

**How Might We (HMW)**:
```
How might we [action] for [user] so that [outcome]?
```

### 3. Ideate

**Purpose**: Generate a wide range of potential solutions.

**Key Activities**:
- Brainstorming
- Mind mapping
- Sketching
- SCAMPER technique
- Worst possible idea

**Outputs**:
- Idea bank
- Concept sketches
- Clustered themes
- Selected concepts for prototyping

**Rules for Ideation**:
1. Defer judgment
2. Encourage wild ideas
3. Build on others' ideas
4. Stay focused on topic
5. One conversation at a time
6. Be visual
7. Go for quantity

### 4. Prototype

**Purpose**: Create representations of solutions to explore.

**Key Activities**:
- Sketching
- Storyboarding
- Role-playing
- Paper prototypes
- Digital mockups

**Outputs**:
- Prototypes (any fidelity)
- Storyboards
- Scenarios
- Physical or digital models

**Prototype Principles**:
- Start rough, refine later
- Build to think
- Fail fast, learn faster
- Prototype to learn, not to prove

### 5. Test

**Purpose**: Gather feedback and refine solutions.

**Key Activities**:
- User testing
- Feedback sessions
- Observation
- Iteration

**Outputs**:
- Feedback synthesis
- Refined prototypes
- Iteration plans
- Validated concepts

**Feedback Framework**:
- What I like...
- What I wish...
- What I wonder...
- What if...

## Design Thinking Mindsets

### 1. Human-Centered
Always start with people and their needs.

### 2. Bias Toward Action
Build to think. Don't just talk about ideas.

### 3. Radical Collaboration
Diverse perspectives lead to better solutions.

### 4. Culture of Prototyping
Make ideas tangible early and often.

### 5. Show, Don't Tell
Use visuals, stories, and prototypes.

### 6. Mindful of Process
Know where you are in the process.

### 7. Embrace Ambiguity
Stay open even when unclear.

## Workshop Timing Guide

### 90-Minute Sprint
| Phase | Time | Focus |
|-------|------|-------|
| Empathize | 15 min | Quick user perspective |
| Define | 10 min | Problem statement |
| Ideate | 25 min | Solution brainstorm |
| Prototype | 20 min | Concept sketches |
| Test/Feedback | 15 min | Peer review |
| Close | 5 min | Next steps |

### Half-Day Workshop (3 hours)
| Phase | Time | Focus |
|-------|------|-------|
| Empathize | 45 min | Deep user research |
| Define | 30 min | Synthesis + HMW |
| Ideate | 45 min | Multiple techniques |
| Prototype | 45 min | Multiple concepts |
| Test | 30 min | User feedback |
| Close | 15 min | Actions |

### Full-Day Workshop (6+ hours)
Extended exploration of each phase with breaks and team exercises.

## Common Techniques

### Empathy Map
```
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     SAYS                          │
│                 (quotes, phrases)                 │
├───────────────────────┬───────────────────────────┤
│       THINKS          │         FEELS             │
│  (beliefs, thoughts)  │   (emotions, reactions)   │
├───────────────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│        DOES           │                           │
│  (actions, behaviors) │                           │
├───────────────────────┴───────────────────────────┤
│    PAINS              │         GAINS             │
│ (frustrations, fears) │   (wants, needs, goals)   │
└───────────────────────┴───────────────────────────┘
```

### User Journey Map
```
PHASE:    Awareness → Consideration → Decision → Use → Loyalty
ACTIONS:  [What user does at each stage]
THOUGHTS: [What user thinks]
EMOTIONS: [How user feels - graph line]
PAIN PTS: [Friction points]
OPPTYS:   [Opportunities to improve]
```

### 2x2 Matrix for Prioritization
```
                HIGH IMPACT
                    │
    ┌───────────────┼───────────────┐
    │    DO LATER   │   DO NOW      │
HIGH│               │               │LOW
EFFORT              │              EFFORT
    │   DON'T DO    │   FILL-IN     │
    └───────────────┼───────────────┘
                    │
                LOW IMPACT
```

## When to Use Design Thinking

**Best For**:
- Complex, ill-defined problems
- Human-centered challenges
- Innovation and new product development
- Experience design
- Service design

**Less Suitable For**:
- Well-defined technical problems
- Urgent decisions with no time for exploration
- Problems with clear, known solutions

See [activities.md](activities.md) for detailed activity guides.